Kony social media campaign sparks scepticism

By Clare Rawlinson and Kate O'Toole

It's likely that if you're reading this, you already know something about the word 'Kony'. Millions are talking about 'Kony 2012' around the world, but while the campaign is stirring a groundswell of support, it's also drawing strong criticisms around the use of social media in charities.

The 'Kony 2012' campaign aims to make famous the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, Joseph Kony, "not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice".

Rebel leader Kony has been terrorising Uganda for 26 years, using his criminal gang to abduct young Ugandans and use them as child soldiers, and he is at the top of the International Criminal Court's most wanted list.

Leaders of the Kony 2012 campaign - advocacy group Invisible Children - posted this video on Monday, asking people to share the call for action to ensure Kony's arrest and to donate money.

The campaign has been trending on Twitter this week and the video has received close to 10 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded two days ago.

It has provoked outrage at Kony, but it's also copping criticism, with some claiming it is driving emotional responses from uninformed "slacktivists" and collecting donations that could be better used elsewhere.

Senior lecturer at Flinders University and president of the Africa Studies Centre, Tanya Lyons, fears the film is exploitative and ineffective.

"I think it's quite interesting the film producer was willing to exploit a young child in a good versus evil, very emotive, documentary, which is trying to tap into the western guilt for inaction," Dr Lyons said.

While Dr Lyons doesn't question the film's accuracy, and agrees Kony deserves prosecution and justice for Ugandans, she is opposed to the campaigns tactics, saying they may have the opposite effect.

"Kony would be loving this," she said, referring to the campaign t-shirts, bracelets and propaganda that supporters are encouraged to purchase.

"If you had of been doing this with Osama Bin Laden five or 10 years ago, you possibly would have been arrested. It's glorifying a murderer."

Dr Lyons suspects Kony is aware of the attention he's getting abroad, and is probably accessing social media from his hiding spot.

"I think it'd be feeding into it and making him more powerful...rather than making any difference to any type of international intervention that may or may not be underway."

But while Dr Lyons believes there are better organisations to donate to for the cause - such rehabilitation centres for child soldiers - she does acknowledge the value in drawing attention to the issue, which has so long been neglected.

"I think it's great people are becoming aware of it. I think people should get a map out and look at Uganda and find out about the history of this country," she said.

"It would have been good for this kind of campaign to happen last year during the Somali famine."

Invisible children today posted this response to the backlash against their campaign.